Computer systems have become increasingly involved in a variety of applications. Much of this involvement can be attributed to the increasingly portable nature of modern computer systems. Computer systems, such as notebook, laptop, and handheld computers, provide their users with quick and easy mobile access to a vast amount of data. Among those who benefit from these portable computer systems are those involved in public safety, such as police, fire and rescue personnel. Others who benefit in a civil or commercial sense are field personnel, such as engineers or technicians, who rely on portable computer systems to perform testing, monitoring, evaluation etc. in a variety of remote or off-site locations. Still others who benefit from this technology are those involved in national defense, such as military personnel, who use systems, such as battlefield digitization computers (BDCs) to provide situational awareness and command and control information to personnel operating mobile units, such as tactical vehicles, aviation, and weapon platforms.
In many instances, portable computer systems use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics products, which are post-engineered or customized to provide user specific functionality. For example, portable computer systems may be post-engineered to meet environmental conditions or may be fitted or retrofitted with hardware and software to include a desired set of peripherals, such as global positioning system (GPS) functionality, radio/satellite communications, wireless networking (e.g., Internet) capability, communication and I/O compatibility (e.g., RS-232, RS-422, Ethernet, USB), and video (e.g., SVGA) compatability. A major benefit of COTS products is that they are non-developmental items that allow rapid proof-of-concept demonstration and system development.
When embedded into specialized systems, COTS items may have been modified to the point that any attempt to follow technology migration (e.g., faster processor, faster bus speed, and new memory type) may result in significant nonrecurring engineering (NRE) costs. The proliferation of technology, rate of COTS product evolution, advancement of system requirements, and realities of program budgets are all driving and complicating factors in this process.
A major cost driver in system design, whether from the ground up or using COTS assemblies, is in initial fielding and future updating of the system to the latest available technology. This may be especially true when the system is mounted in or on a specialized installation platform. For example, on a military vehicle installation platform, a BDC system may include a display unit, a keyboard, and a processor unit mounted in the vehicle with cables connecting the display unit to the processor unit and to the keyboard. External peripherals, such as an Internet controller, GPS module, radio and/or satellite communications, and various other task-specific hardware, such as sensors require mounting space on the platform and external cabling to provide power and communications. Considering that different installation platforms (e.g., vehicle types) have different architectures and may require different or unique capabilities, space (e.g., footprint space) on the installation platform may be at a premium, installations may be complex, and changes, maintenance, and upgrades to the system or its architecture may prove difficult and costly. Also, the personnel occupying any given vehicle may have different needs and therefore may require different combinations of hardware.